In 1990, my wife, Elizabeth Sclater, was appointed principal equalities officer for older people at Lewisham council in London – a pioneering role she extended, beyond health and social care, to encompass education, housing, pensions and public services. The comprehensive equality and diversity policy she developed resulted in Lewisham becoming one of only three councils in the UK to achieve the highest equality standard. With colleagues, Elizabeth, who has died aged 78 of cancer, then developed the Equality Impact Assessment toolkit that was used by, among others, the Home Office, regional government offices, and the Commission for Equality and Human Rights transition team.
Her innovative approach – involving older women, championing their voices and sharing experiences – helped to inspire and empower many, especially those who felt marginalised. Elizabeth then made successful bids for three EU-funded projects that contributed to the gender and age policy agenda of the European Commission. She also founded the Older Women’s Network, Europe (OWN Europe), to foster collaboration and influence policy of member states, and participated at the fourth World Conference of Women (held in Beijing in 1995) as a member of the NGO Forum organising committee.
